Audi to launch an all-electric vehicle by 2017 to rival Tesla

According to reports, automotive manufacturing giant Audi is planning to rival close competitor Tesla, by launching a battery-powered family car by 2017.

Speaking to Auto Express, Audi’s technical development chief Ulrich Hackenberg said, “I was able to reengineer the R8 e-tron project and technology with the team and we are on the way to a range of 450km (280 miles).”

It is believed that a new body deign by Audi will allow for biggest batteries to be stored under the floor of the car, allowing for greater range without compromising baggage and passenger space. It will also use next-generation batteries in order to achieve 280 miles range.

Audi has created blue prints for a wide range of electric cars to keep competitive with Tesla and other German competitors when the market grows.

Meanwhile, Tesla Motors opened its patents to competitors in the spirit of open source movement and to facilitate innovation and development on an industry level.

“At Tesla, we felt compelled to create patents out of concern that the big car companies would copy our technology and then use their massive manufacturing, sales and marketing power to overwhelm Tesla. We couldn't have been more wrong,” said Tesla CEO, Elon Musk.

Musk realized Tesla’s true competition is not the possibility of other electric car companies in the market, but rather the “enormous flood of gasoline cars pouring out of the world's factories every day.”

Musk said that the rapidly evolving technology platform of future electric cars would not only help Tesla, and other car manufacturing companies, but the world itself.